AOD to 4r70w - Purchase a low mileage 4r70w

[mustang7173]

All, I current have a rebuilt 1980 AOD that is very low miles, less than 1500, and it has a whine now in my 1973 Coupe, 302 V8. I may know what has caused the whine issues. After much research, the 4r70w is a much better upgrade. To manage cost, I found a low mileage, 80,000 miles 4r70w for a 2001-2002 Mustang 3.8L for $835. That includes ship to. It is a crap shoot here. The rebuilt ones are not cheap. what do you think?

Opinions requested.

 

[Steve McMahan]

I think I would first discover what is causing the whine. It may be something as simple as something rubbing in the rotating mass. I wouldn’t just replace it with another transmission out of a car that you don’t know the history of because you may have the same problem when you’re done. Plus, that transmission requires a controller and the AOD you have doesn’t. Those controllers are not cheap. I’m sure others more knowledgeable will chime in.

 

[giantpune]

Do they have photos of the car? When I go to the pull a part yard, I tend to prefer mechanical components out of cars that are wrecked. Especially if they are smashed in on the front.

My logic is, there's a reason somebody is junking or parting out a car. The most common the motor is broke, the transmission is broke, it was wrecked, or it was towed/impounded and the fees to buy it back are more than the car is worth. If you see the car is wrecked, you know it was probably running and driving. If you see the front of the car is wrecked, then that's even more evidence that car was driving great.

I'm actually in the midst of my own 4R70W swap. I got mine for $250. Local shop wants $2k to rebuild it. I think I'm gonna end up just running it like it is and see what happens. Even if I have to pull it out later and rebuild it, its still cheaper than anything I'm seeing online. If you aren't in the mood to pull one from the local yard, then $835 isn't a terrible price.

Its hard to say definitively about an 80k mile transmission. It most likely will be fine. But there's no guarantee. If you get it and the fluid/pan looks and smells good, just run it like it is.